NEWS

May 14, 2007

Five Hillcats Earn All-Region Honors

To the victor go the spoils. Such was the case for the Rogers State softball team in 2007 as five Hillcats were named to the all-region team following a 31-15 season, an astounding number of victories and accolades for a second-year program.

Freshman pitcher Kelli Dunagan and sophomore left fielder Randi Tyler were selected to the first team. Senior catcher Somer Dykes, freshman pitcher Stephanie Eggers and junior center fielder Kacy Ward made the second team. The All-Region VI Team is comprised of players from the Sooner Athletic Conference and the Red River Athletic Conference and is selected by the coaches from participating schools at the Region VI tournament.

RSU earned regional as well as national recognition in 2007 with a 29-13 record and a birth in the Region VI tournament. The Hillcats went 2-2 in the region playoffs, knocking off Northwood and Northwestern Oklahoma State in tournament play. Coach Dawn Reed’s club earned a spot in the Top 25 national polls for the first time in 2007. The Hillcats claimed the No. 22 spot in early March and were ranked No. 25 at the end of the regular season.

Dunagan was the staple of the Hillcat pitching staff in 2007. She compiled an 18-5 regular season record and added two more victories in the post-season to go along with a 2.28 ERA. The Collinsville product tossed 156.2 innings and recorded an astounding 135 strikeouts while yielding just 52 walks. She also finished second on the team in hitting with a .330 batting average, three home runs and 17 RBI.

Tyler paced the Hillcats offensively for the second half of the season. She led the team with a .333 batting average and a .541 slugging percentage. The Depew High School star clubbed 12 doubles, a triple and three homers to lead the team with 60 total bases. She also drove-in 22 runs and started 45 games for RSU this spring.

Dykes was the lone senior representative on the all-region team for RSU. Known primarily for her defensive prowess, Dykes compiled a respectable .286 batting average and belted four home runs on the season. The Owasso product boasted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and threw out 5-of-14 would-be base stealers during the regular season and 2-of-2 at the regional tournament.

Eggers played an important roll for the RSU pitching staff in 2007. She served as a counter punch to the hard-throwing Dunagan and pitched very effectively for the Hillcats down the stretch. The Pawhuska High School standout went 11-8 with a team-leading 1.82 ERA and racked up 111.1 innings pitched. She tossed nine complete games and two shutouts while racking up 96 strikeouts on the year.

Ward rounds out the RSU class of all-region selections. She led the Hillcats with 38 hits during the regular season and posted a .295 batting average. The speedy center fielder was 11-of-12 in stolen base attempts and committed only one error on the season while starting every game for the Hillcats in the outfield. The Tulsa Memorial product had an outstanding regional tournament. She hit .455 (5-for-11) with three doubles and a triple.